Let The Numbers Do The Talking
Which of these statements sounds more impressive?
- In my past role, I led the team to increase revenue by 20%.
- In my past role, I increased annual revenue from $5 million to $6 million, a gain of 20%, while leading a global team of six employees spread across four time zones.
Most recruiters would probably say the second. Not only does the second sentence talk about the candidates accomplishment, it also shows the depth of their success by citing cold, hard facts.
Like facts, no one can really argue with numbers. They help us understand just how successful a candidate has been, Lance Robbins, director of economic and workforce development at Distribute Consulting, explained. Metrics are essential to telling the story of previous successes. So keep track of any quantifiable milestones youre hitting in your current role, project, or internship. You never know when youll need to pull data together to bolster a job application or interview.
Pro tip: Continue this practice even after landing a job. You can use numbers to make a case for why you deserve a promotion or a raise down the line.
Get More Skills And Qualifications
If you are not qualified to do the jobs you are applying for, you will not get shortlisted for them.
You cant expect a recruiter to be wowed by your CV if you only have 1 out of the 10 requirements they are looking for.
Take a realistic look at your CV compared to the job adverts you are responding to and ask yourself what you are missing.
If you lack some experience they need, could you step up in your current role and take on some extra responsibilities? Or take a short relevant voluntary role?
If you dont have the software experience or qualifications they are asking for, could you take on online course to get them?
If you actively make yourself a better candidate, your CV will automatically become more attractive, and recruiters will make more time for it.
How Many Pages Should My Resume Be
There is no definitive answer to this question. However, according to ZipJob, your resume should be no longer than 2 pages. This is the standard resume length thats enough to include everything that should be relevant to your recruiter, including job experience, education, skills, and other industry knowledge.
You May Like: Filmmakers Resume
Skills And Other Industry Knowledge
If youre applying for a job that has specific industry requirements, for example, a job where youd be responsible for setting up and monitoring ad campaigns on Google, the recruiter is probably going to look through your skills section and look for relevant digital marketing skills.
A great idea would be to include relevant keywords since most recruiters will skim through a resume and use CTRL or command + F to search for these keywords. The same applies to companies that use ATS software. Dont forget to include relevant tools that you know how to use since these are always appreciated.
Including your skills is sure to complement your job experience and will make you stand out from the rest of the applicants. It will also illustrate your suitability for the open position.
Always tailor your skills to the type of job youre applying to. You dont have to go overboard with skills and other industry knowledge just to have as many as possible. Its actually better to concentrate on the skillset thats actually necessary for the job youre seeking.
Employers View Resumes For Fewer Than 11 Seconds
Employers search the Workopolis database 16,000 times a day looking at candidate resumes each search resulting in multiple resume views. Many more thousands of resumes are also submitted in online job applications. Workopolis can see in real-time how many resumes employers look at, and how long they spend on each resume page before saving it or moving on.
Nearly 80% of resumes dont make the first cut. Employers shortlist an average of two out of every ten resumes viewed. This corresponds with our recent candidate survey where most people say that they applied to 10 opportunities before being hired for their most recent job.
Your application has to make an impression fast. Nearly 60% of employers spend just 11 seconds or less on the resume page before either saving or downloading it, or moving on.
Even those resumes that are selected have very little time to make an impression.The resumes that are shortlisted by employers are viewed for 25 per cent longer than those that are immediately passed over.
Only about 14 per cent of recruiters spend more than one minute looking at a resume page.
Everything moves quickly on the Internet. Think about when you conduct a Google search. You can see in the titles and descriptions on the search results page that many of the findings dont match what youre looking for so you never click on them. Then of the pages you do check out, most will only get a quick scan to see if they contain the information youre after.
See also:
Don’t Miss: Resume Name Ideas
How Do Recruiters Get Resumes Noticed
Top 5 Ways to Get Your Resume Noticed
- Relevant language.
How Do I Write My Employer In 2020 Cv
20 top CV tips for 2020
Read Also: What Is A High School Diploma Called On A Resume
Making Claims Without Measurable Evidence
“If you’re going to boast about increasing sales or improving process efficiency, support these claims with real statistics and an explanation of how you accomplished these feats. When I read ‘improved department sales revenue’ on a resume, I’m not convinced.” Tyson Spring, co-founder and head of business development at Élever Professional
Should You Smile In Resume Photo
Avoid all facial expressions that might cast doubt on your serious intentions. However, this does not mean that you should look too serious or even angry as if you were imprisoned for a crime! There is always a middle way and a smile is more than enough to illustrate your professionalism and positive character.
Also Check: How To Fill In Employment Gaps On Resume
Letting Inconsistencies Slip Through
“Every once in a while, someone will forget to recheck their dates, job titles or job duties. For me, this is worse than typos. These days, most HR professionals search on LinkedIn and across social media accounts to vet potential employees. If your start dates, titles or duties do not line up, it can raise red flags to employers. It leaves us thinking, ‘Are they lying on their resume or on LinkedIn? Or both?’ It immediately disqualifies a candidate. I always encourage people to double-check their resume. An inconsistency could be an honest mistake that costs you the job.” Adele Alligood, HR consultant and engagement manager for EndThrive
Organization And Clear Formatting
Recruiters love to see a well-organized resume. This will leave a great impression, as youll seem more detail-oriented and neat. Also, make sure that your resume is not confusing, but instead easy to read through.
Its also an excellent idea to use a spell checker and make sure there are no grammatical or spelling errors, as this can indicate that you didnt pay much attention or time to carefully crafting your resume.
When it comes to fonts, use professional-looking fonts, such as Arial, Times New Roman, Veranda, or Helvetica. Avoid using goofy or cartoonish fonts.
You want your resume to grab the attention of the recruiter, and this can be achieved by making sure it looks and feels professional. Ensure that there are no inconsistencies for example, your experience and education sections should always be in reverse chronological order.
Also, make sure that your resume is concise and dont try to impress recruiters by adding irrelevant information just to make it longer. The key is to create a link in the mind of the recruiter between the job role youre applying for and you.
If youre unsure of how your resume should look, you can also use an online resume template that will help make your resume professional-looking and easy to read.
Recommended Reading: Good Wpm For Resume
Failing To Identify And Delete Irrelevant Work Experience
“One resume mistake many people make is that they feel obligated to include every job, including part-time work, that they’ve had since college. For example, including that you were a Subway sandwich artist for three months is superfluous if you’re applying for a technology job unless, of course, the company’s technology improves the sandwich-making process. Including information like this shows laziness and a general lack of understanding.” Joshua Goldstein, co-founder of Underdog.io
Recruiters Explain What Makes A Strong Executive Resume
With so much information on what makes a good resume floating around on the internet, it can be difficult to figure out what actually works.
Much of what you find can also be contradictory, misleading, or blatantly incorrect.
We asked recruiters to provide their views on common questions we receive regarding the content and formatting of executive resumes:
- What is the most important thing you look for in an executive resume?
- What format do you find to be the most effective and professional?
- How long should an executive resume be?
- What are your pet peeves when it comes to resumes?
Whether you are an experienced C-level executive or just starting your career, their perspectives should provide valuable insights into what will impress a recruiter and what can lead them to move onto the next applicant.
Recommended Reading: Microsoft Office 2010 Resume Template
Research The Jobs You Are Applying For
Recruiters reject CVs quickly when they do not see the requirements that they have asked for in the job description.
If you dont research the jobs that you are applying for, you will not know which of your skills and experience are most important recruiters which will make it difficult for you to create a CV that appeals to them.
Before you write your CV, do some thorough research into the jobs you intend to apply for and build your CV around the core requirements, highlighting your most in-demand talents.
There Is No One Way To Read A Resume
Several different factors go into how your resume is interpreted by the reader a recruiter, hiring manager, or both.
Volume of applications is one determining factor in the length of time a hiring representative has to dedicate to actually reading a resume. For any given vacancy, I would easily review upwards of 100+ resumes, which didnt leave a lot of time for reading resumes word for word.
Many of these resumes were skimmed via a mobile device as I waited for lunch or binged on reality TV before winding down for some shut-eye. After years in the recruiting industry, I learned that hiring managers often spent quite a bit longer reviewing an ideal candidates resume than a recruiter.
Grabbing the recruiters attention at the first touch is the goal.
You May Like: Resumes 2 Pages
What Recruiters Look For In A Resume At First Glance
At the first glance of your resume, employers and recruiters are looking at your most recent work experience and comparing it to the requirements for the position youve applied for.
The primary resume area to focus on if you want to attract recruiters at first glance is your recent work experience. Use that resume section to sell yourself to this new company and show how youre prepared to succeed in the position.
If you have no work experience, then your education is your work experience essentially. Highlight coursework, academic projects, and of course the degrees/diplomas you earned.
Select Resumes That Have The Desired Skills
While employers will have a list of required credentials, they may also have a list of desired skills. It is important to prioritize these because desired skills often help the employee complete the work and integrate into the organization’s culture. Soft skills such as leadership and communication may not be necessary for the specific role, but they will add value to the organization.
Recommended Reading: How To Put Education In Progress On Resume
Is This Study Reliable
Whilst this study certainly has a stronger foundation then the Ladders study, Im not convinced it gives us a definitive answer to the question how long do recruiters spend looking at your CV?
The fact that they have used their databases user activity should provide a reliable source of recruiter activity. However, without knowing anything else about how the study was carried out, its difficult to say how accurate the results are.
Most importantly they have not told us how many recruiters were studied and how many CVs they were tasked with reading.
These are two vital details to omit from a write up of a study like this, because they have such a big impact on how conclusive the findings are.
For example, if they studied 1 recruiter reading 1 CV the findings would be completely useless, whereas a study of 1,000 recruiters reading 1,000 CVs would give us much more meaningful average figures.
But, if we assume that Workopolis sampled a large enough number of recruiters and CVs then this study does give us a good indication of how long recruiters are spending reviewing CVs.
When Resume Mistakes Become Deal
For those who need further convincing to read on, in a 2018 survey conducted by hiring site TopResume, 70% of employers said that personal deal-breakers of theirs like missing contact information or an unprofessional email address were enough to reject a candidate before they even finished reading the resume.
“It’s all subject to the type and level of position you’re pursuing and the individual recruiter’s personal preferences,” said Amanda Augustine, career expert at Talent Inc., parent company of TopResume. “If you’re new to the workforce, it’s more acceptable to include a list of hobbies on your resume because, frankly, you have less material to work with and may need the information to fill an entire page for your resume.”
Another exception to hobbies is if they’re relevant to the work you’re pursuing, Augustine said.
On the other hand, there are some résumé mistakes to be avoided no matter the industry. Such mistakes alone may not be deal-breakers, but they still leave a bad taste in the employer’s mouth. Augustine broke it down:
We asked recruiters and hiring professionals for the most common resume mistakes they’re confronted with.
You May Like: Community Service On Resume
Should I Include Everything I Can In My Resume
There are certain things you should always include in your resumes, such as name, location, contact information, previous experience, and skills.
Theres no need to go overboard and try to include everything you possibly can just to make your resume longer. Actually, recruiters prefer a shorter, more concise resume where they can get a general idea of your abilities just by skimming your resume.
Its also going to make your resume more likely to pass through an ATS app. Making sure that your resume is easy to read and clean-looking is of utmost importance.
Online Profile Or Resume Link
An online profile or resume is a complementary addition to a resume that allows the employer to access your digital work history and professional profile. Some employers look for this element because it can give them a more in-depth look at your online work presence and your professional connections. There are many online resume websites and professional social media channels that employers may review. An online profile also provides additional content such as your professional headshot, links to work samples and blog posts.
Read more:How To Build an Online Resume Website
Don’t Miss: How To Upload Resume From Iphone
It Takes A Few Minutes To Determinewhether A Cv Is Suitable Or Not
How many CVs do you see on a typical workday?
This can vary depending on which sector you are recruiting in, the time of year, what the market is like, the salary level and the job specification in question. Based on all of those factors a consultant may not receive a single CV for a specific role, in other cases they can receive upwards of 100.
Are most CVs you see easy to navigate and read?
The majority of CVs are planned, well thought out and demonstrate good experience.
When reviewing a CV for the first time, how long do you normally spend deciding whether it is suitable or not?
A few minutes but that is only on the basis that Ive probably viewed a good 100,000 CVs during my career so you can quickly hone into whats right or not.
What are the first things you look for when reading a CV?
If the CV is for a specific job role I would always look for how the experience detailed matches up to the job description or job advert. This is what employers will be looking for.
What tips would you give to candidates who want to ensure their CVs get more attention from recruiters?
If the recruiter or hiring manager is listed on the advert try and make contact before you apply and ask them what 3 things would you like to see on a CV for this role which would increase your chances of securing an interview. Armed with that insight you can then tailor your CV to meet the brief.
Clear Formatting And Organization
The final factors that recruiters want to see on your resume are good formatting, organization, and spacing.
Make your resume easy to read. No big, bulky paragraphs. Instead, use short sentences mixed with bullets, clear section titles/headers, etc.
Resume formatting is important because recruiters skim your resume at first glance and will not read it word-for-word initially.
Resumes with good spacing and lots of bullet points and numbers/data will help the recruiter quickly gather the info they need so they can then decide if they want to keep reading.
If the resume seems difficult to read or understand, the reader may become impatient and move on to another candidate.
I know that sounds harsh, but its important to realize that most recruiters have a stack of resumes to review and dont feel that candidates are in short supply, unless you have a highly in-demand skill set. So they arent afraid to move on quickly, unfortunately.
Also, I recommend avoiding two-column resume formats that have become so popular online recently. Stick to a one-column resume layout.
The one-column format is still preferred in practically every industry. It is what recruiters are accustomed to seeing and will have an easy time understanding.
Unless youre applying for a graphic design position, dont get creative in designing your resume. Companies are looking for job-relevant content on your resume, not fancy designs.
Read Also: How To Put Gpa On Resume